Mechanism for grooving sewing-machine-needle blanks



(No Model.)

' P. M. BEERS.

MECHANISM FOR GROOVING SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE BLANKS No. 268,695. Patented May 30, 1882.

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N. PETERS. Fhola-Lilhugnphcr. Washington. D.c.

6 Sheets-Sheet l.-

(No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. M. BEERS.

MECHANISM FOR GROOVING SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE B LANKS. No. 258,695. I Patented May 30, 1882.

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(No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 3,

P. M. BEERS. MECHANISM FOR GROOVING SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE BLANKS.

No. 258,695. Patented May 30, 1882.

N. PETERS. PiiGln-Lilhugmphcn Washingkwn. D. c.

(No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 4. P. M. BEERS.

MECHANISM FOR GROOVING SEWING MAGHINE NEEDLE BLANKS. No. 258,695. Patented May 30', 1882.

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P. MEEEES. MECHANISM EOE GROOV-ING SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE BLANKS.

No. 258,695. Patented May 30, 1882.

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P. M. 'BEERS.

MECHANISM FOR GROWING SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE B'LANKS. No. 258,695. I Patented May 30, 1882.

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NtTEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILO M. BEERS, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

MECHANISM FOR GROOVING SEWlNG-MACHlNE-NEEDLE BLANKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 258,695, dated May 30, 18 82 Application filed Decembeg 2, 1881.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PHrLo M. BEERs, of Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Mechanism forGrooving Sewing-h'lachine-NeedleBlanks, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanism for grooving sewing-machine-needle blanks, and is adapted for use in connection with mechanism substantially such as represented in my Patent of the United States No. 217,921, July 29, 1879. That patent shows a machine provided with cutters to groove a sewing-machine-needle blank,the said blank being placed in and removed from the holding-jaws by a hand operation, the machine therein repre' sented requiring the service of an attendant.

The object of this present invention is to arrange several groovi ug-machmes-substantially such as represented in the said patent or of other suitable or well-known kind-in a mechanical organization in connection with needle-blank feeding and removing mechanism, whereby the said grooving-machine may be brought intermittingly into position before mechanism which will supply a needle-blank to the needle-blank-holding jaws. In order that the said grooving-machine may operate upon the said blank in the usual way, I have provided a movable support for the groovingmaehines, it bringing each machine into position to be automatically supplied with a blank, and subsequently into position to have the grooved blank or needle taken from it, one machine taking aplain blank while another machine on the support gives up its grooved blank.

As herein provided for, I have shown acoutrivance for containing six machines, which have needle-blanks autoi'natically suppliedto and taken from them, the attendant only being required to keep the blank-receiving hopper properly filled with needle-blanks.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents in partial vertical section a sufticient portionof my improved mechanical organization and one needle-grooving machine mounted thereon to illustrate my present invention, the said figure showing at the left the blank-receiving hopper and mechanism to supply the groov .of which is supposed to represent a groovingmachine such as re )resented in Fi". l and substantially such as described in my patent referred to. Fig. 5 is a partial horizontal section of Fig. 1 on the dotted line a 00, to illustrate the mechanism employed by me in this instance to rotate the grooving-machine support iutermittingly. Fig. 6 is a detail representing the needle blank holding jaws, the

means employed to automatically open and close them, and part of the mechanism which supplies the grooving-machine with blanks,"

the said figure clearly illustrating parts which, because of lack of space on the drawings, cannot be shown clearly in Fig. 1; Fig. 7, details of the cam and arm forming part of the looking device for the needle-blank-holding clamp;

Fig. 8, an enlarged detail of the front ot'.the carriage which holds the blank-clampingjaws and part of the bed F and device to move the said carriage backward. Fig. 9 is an enlarged side elevation, showing more fully the needleblank-feeding mechanism and the hopper de-' Fig. 10 is a top tached from the machine. view of Fig. 9; Fig. 11, afront end elevation of Fig. 9, looking at it from thelet't; and Fig.

12, a partial top view to show the two mova-' ble slides which receive between them the needle-blank which is next to be acted upon by the ejector, the said slides being fi'st moved from their position Fig. 11 to place the blank held between them in line with the ejector.

These figures, 9 to 12, inclusive, show fully parts which, because of the size of the other figures ofthe drawings, could not be well shown. Fig. 13 is a detail showing the hub, its pin, and the star-wheel moved by it and the lever moved by the grooved part of the hub.

Referring to the drawings, Ais supposed to represent a machine for grooving needles-a. machine substantially such as represented in' my United States Patent referred to.-

B represents a movable or rotating support,

upon which are mounted two or more groovingmachines, A, there being in this present instance six such grooving-machines, supposed to be shown in the drawings by the letters A in Fig. 4. This movable support B has connected with it a star-wheel, E, having curved faces A and slots M, the latter receiving a downwardly-extended pin, b, (see Figs. 13 and 5,) of an arm, b, of a huh, 11, secured to an upright shaft, b, which is rotated continuously through bevel-gears b I) and driven shaft 1) in any well-known way. The continuous rotation of the hub b causes its pin b to enter and leave in succession each slot a of the starwheel E and operate the said star-wheel and its connected support B intermittingly, the movement of the star-wheel being snflicient to actuate the mo able support B far enough to carry each grooving-machine a distance equal to the distance between the blank feeding and removing mechanism, or one-sixth of a revolution. So long as the pin I) is in one of the slots a of the wheel E the latter will be moved by the said pin; but as soon as the pin b leaves one of the said slots the cylindrical part or body of the hub b then in one of the concaved spaces A of the wheel E, prevents it and the support B from being rotated until the pin I), during the rotation of the hub and its mm b, is again brought into a slot, a This intermitting pin and star-wheel motion is "cry common in the arts, and is not of my invention. Each machine, after it receives a blank, the support moving in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 4, holds the blank for nearly one entire revolution of the support B and grooves it as the said machine is carried by the support around into position opposite the mechanism for removing the blank.

Instead ofthe particular devices herein shown to operate the movable support B intermittingly, I may employ any other well-known equivalent devices.

The shaft 0, driven by suitable bevel-gear from shaft b as shown in Fig. 1, and extended up through a vertical hearing or sleeve, C, which serves as an axis for the support B, has a gear, which engages a pinion, c, on the upright shaft 0 of the grooving-machine. This gear 0 in practice will be the common driver for the gears c of all the grooving-machines A carried by the support B. The shaft 0 at its upper end has a grooved belt-pulley, c, which is connected by belt 0 with the grooved beltpulley a, which is the same as the pulley designated by like letter in the patent referred to.

The compound shafts t and the gear 1 are the same as the like designated parts in the said patent; but instead of the toothed wheel h represented in the said patent I employ a bevel-faced wheel, (herein marked h,) which is engaged and driven by the bevel-wheel h at the lower end of the shaft 0 the said shaft having thereon a suitable movable hub or clutch, k by which, when desired, the mechanism for moving the grooving-cutters may be thrown out of or into operation by hand.

The gear 0, loose on the shaft 0 has at its upper side a pin, c,which at suitable times is engaged by a corresponding pin, 0 on the hub of the clutch h splined upon the said shaft c and grooved externally,to be embraced by a pin in the forked end of the shipper-lever m. This shipper'lever, pivoted at m upon a rigid part, m of the frame-work, has at its other end a pin or knob, m, by which to operate it to engage with or disengage the pin of the clutch from the pin of the gear 0.

These grooving-machines A will each have the usual blank-holding jaws (herein marked (1 d") to hold the needlc'blanks while being grooved. The upperjaw, d, of suitable shape, is pivoted upon its carrying-lever (1 in order that it may adapt itself to the blank. This lever d has at its rear end a screw, (1 which is operated upon at the proper time by a cam, d, on a shaft, d". The front end of the shaft 61 has upon it a semicircular or other suitable arm, (1 which is intermittingly operated upon at the proper time and partially rotated, to thus cause the cam (1* to close the jaw at uponjaw (I when the needle'blank is between them, the shaft (1 and its cam d constituting a locking device for the said jaws.

The stationary bed F has upon it a hopper, If, to receive the needle-blanks to be grooved, also mechanism to grasp and remove agrooved blank; and near the said hopper and the said needle blank removing mechanism, respectively, are fingers e 0. (See Fig. 4.) Just after the jaws near the hopper have been supplied with a needle-blank to be grooved the finger 0 acts upon the upper end of the arm d as the support B is moved in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 4, and turns the said arm, shaft, and cam so as to cause the jaw d to de scend and grasp a needle-blank. The said cam d and its shaft remain in such position and lock the jaws together on the blank until the said machine, in the rotation of the support B, arrives opposite the blank-removing devices, (shown separately in Fig. 3,) when a. second finger, 6 also connected with the said bed F, strikes the under portion of the arm d and turns the shaft (1 and cam d in the opposite direction far enough to release the clamp d from the needle-blank, at which time the needle-blank-removing devices, comprising in part the pair of jaws G, are operated so as to cause the said jaws G to close upon or grasp the needle-blank and withdraw it from the needle-blank-holding jaws of the groovingmachine.

The jaws G have their fulcra g on an upright standard, 9 bolted to a slide, 9 fitted in guideways 9 (See Fig. 4.) This slide g is provided with a slot, 40, through which is extended a pin, 9", carried by a long lever, 9 This lever g is shown in dotted lines, Fig. 4. The upper end of pin 9 is connected positively with the jaw-operating slide 9 fitted to be reciprocated for a short distance independently in the slide 9 In this way the first part of the movement of the lever 9 causes the jaw- IlO operating slide 9 to be moved sufficiently far further movement of the lever 9 the slide and the jaw-operating slide g move together with the jaws G closed. As the jaws G are moved backward, or in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, they will be closed and remain closed; but as soon as the lever is moved in a direction to push the slide 9 forward the jaws will be opened, and as soon as the pin 9 strikes the part g of the slide the saidjaws will thereafter continue to move forward together, thejaws remaining open in position to be closed upon the projecting end of a grooved needle-blank, which is to be withdrawn from the grooving-machine at the next backward movement of the jaws. Each grooved blank withdrawn from the grooving-machine by the jaws will be released as the jaws are thereafter opened, permitting the grooved blank to drop into a suitable small pan, which in practice will be placed under thejaw G.

The leverg has an arm, 2', (shown in Figs.5 and 13,) provided with a pin, i which enters a groove,3,in acam or adjustable disk attached to the upper side of the hub b the said groove imparting to the said lever its movements at thepropertinies. Theleverg(shownindotted lines in Fig. 4) has its opposite end suitably connected (see Figs. 6 and 11) with the slide h fitted in suitable guideways, 73, connected with the bed F. This slide h has upon it a bracket, k having connected with it an ejector, h, which at the proper time is projected through the lower portion of the blank-holding hopper b the said ejector striking the end of the lowermos't blank in the said hopper and pushing it out laterally into and between the open jaws d (1 just before the jaw d is closed by the action of the finger 6 (before referred to) on the arm (1, which moves the shaft (i and cam (1 Referring to the larger figures, 9 to 11, showing this blank-feeding mechanism fully and clearly on a larger scale, it will be seen that the slide h is also provided with a cam-plate, h, on which is an irregular cam-rib, h", shaped as fully shown in Figs. 9 and 10, and a plate, It, having near its forward edge a cam-dcpression, 4. (Shown clearly in Fig. 1.0.)

The rising block 5, which in practice forms a permanent part of the guideway-block it, receives a screw-bolt, 6, which serves as the fulcrum for the hub (shown broken out in Fig. 9) of the slide-moving lever 7, having at its rear end a roller, 8, whichis acted upon to vibrate the said lever by the cam-plate h, the said roller being pressed against the said plate h bythe springt). The forward end ofthe lever 7 is slotted at its under side to'loosely engage a pin, 10, on the slide plate 12, fitted in guideways between the ledges 13 let of the station ary part 5. The lever 7 moves the slide-plate 12 and its connected slide-plate 16, to be described, in the direction of the arrow on it, Fig. 12; but in doing so the lever 7 transmits its effective pressure on the spring 1, held by studs r of plate 12, so that the moving force is yielding rather than positive, which obviates breakage of parts if a blank gets clogged.

Referring to Fig. 12, where the hopper is removed,'as well as the parts at the left of said ledge 14, it will be seen that the slide 12 is connected with an arm, 15, of a slide, 16, by means of a pin, 17, on slide 12, which enters a slot, 18, in the said arm 15, as shown in dotted lines.

In Fig. 12 part of the slide 16 is broken away at the right to show the arm 15 under it. The slide 16 is cut away centrally at 19 to surround a base-piece, 20, which receives a screw, 21, by which to attach the base 22 of the hopper h to the part 5. The opening 19 is larger than the base-piece 20, so that the slide 16 may be movedlongitudinallyforashortdistance. The slide 16 has a lug or ear, 23, in which is an adjustable screw, 24. The end of the screw 24 bears against the edge of the foot or base 22 of the hopper when the roller 8 of the lever 7 rests at the lowest point, 4, (see Fig. 10,) of the cam-plate h", and by its position in the said ear governs the position of the front end of slide plate 16 with relation to the vertical guideway or groove at the lower end of the hopper, down which the needle-blanks 66 descend, and out from which they are pushed by the spring presser-foot 27, to be hereinafter described, into the nar row groove 28 between the ends of the slide-plates 12 16. The plate 16 is provided with a pin, 25, (shown in dotted lines, Fig. 12, and in full lines, Fig. 11, by breaking out the part 5,) which enters a slot, 26, in the bed 5 and bears against a spiral spring, 30, laid in the said slot. One end of this spring rests against the bar 31, secured to the bed 5 by screws 32, and the said spring exerts its force in keepingthe slide-plate 16 constantly pressed forward as far-as the screw 24 will permit.

The left-hand inner wall of the vertical passage or way at the lower end of the hopper, viewing the hopper as in Fig. 11, will betaken as the point with which the end of the slideplate 13 will be aligned when the two slideplates arein theirfarthest position to the right. In such position and with such adjustmentthe pin 17 rests in the end of slot 18 nearest the plate 16 by reason of the pressure of spring 30, the movement of plate 12 being at that time arrested with its end in line with the right-hand inner wall of the bottom groove or discharge-opening of the said hopper.

' The front part of the ejector [t is shown in Figs. 9 and 10 as held in a guide-block, 33, fast to the bed 5, and the forward end of the ejector isjust in line with the passages 34 35 through the ledges 13 14. (See Fig. 12.)

The groove 28, formed between the ends of the slideplates, when it receives a needleblank, is directly under the hopper passage or outlet, and occupies substantially the position with relation to passages 34 35 as in Fig. 12; but when the lowermost blank of the series has been pressed into said groove 28 thelever 7, by its pressure on the spring r moves the said slide-plate 12, which,pressing against one side of the blank, carries it along horizontally until the blank and groove 28 come in line with the ejector h, at which time the said ejector is moved forward, as described, by the lever and slide h, forcing theneedle-blank out from the groove 28, between the slide'plates 12 and 16, through the passage 35, between the needle-blank'holding jaws referred to. As the slides 12 and 16 are moved to carry the needle-blank from below the hopper to a position in line with the ejector the end of slide-plate 16 bears on the blank with a yielding pressure, due to the force of spring 30.

The blanks for sewing-machine needles, they having shanks of larger diameter than their blades, are liable to tip and lie very irregularly. I desire to keep three or four of the blanks at the lower end of the hopper in horizontal position, so that they may be readily fed down into groove 28.

The passage-way at thelower end of the h opper h is just wide enough for one needle-blank and deep enough to permit several needleblanks to lie one on the other in a pile. At one side of the hopper h, nearest the shanks of the blanks, I have cut a slot, 36, into which projects the free end of the blank-presser or presser-foot 27, carried at the end of thelever 38, having its fulcrum 39 in the head of a swiveling block, 40,1nounted in an ear, 41, rising from the bed 5. This lever, at its rear end, has a grooved shoe, 43, which rides on the cam-rib h of the plate h.

The lever 38 is acted upon by a spring, 42, which keeps the shoe 43 always on the rib h This cam-rib is so shaped and moves the lever 38 in such time and order with relation to the slides 12 and 16 and the ejector that the presser 27 will be withdrawn from the slot 36 when the slide h and ejector h have been moved fully forward, and the end of the presscr 27 will at the same time be lifted with its end in position about level with the second needle-blank from the pile of blanks at the bottom of the hopper. At this time the shoe 43 will rest on the lowest part, 44, of the camrib h As the slide h is drawn backward to draw back the ejector h the part 45 of the cam-rib, (see Fig. 10,) acting on the shoe 43, will move the lever 38, so that the point of the presser 27 will enter the slot 36 and pass between the shanks of, say, the second and third needle-blanks of the pile of blanks lying one directly above the other, and the further backward movement of the slide and cam-rib will bring the part 46 of the cam-rib under the said shoe and throw down the front end of lever 38, causing the presser to bear or press upon the shanks of the blanks below it with very considerable force, so that as soon as the roller 8 of lever 7 reaches the low part, 4, of

the cam-plate h and the slide-plates 12 and 16 are acted upon and moved by the spring 30 to place the groove 28 between their ends just below the open bottom ofthe hopper, the presser 27, then bearing on the needle-blanks, with the shoe 43 on the highest part 48 of the camrib h, will cause the lowermost blank of the pile of blanks below the presser to be thrown down forcibly into groove 28. After this the plates 12 and 16 will be moved laterally, as described, to place the needle-blank then in the groove 28 opposite the ejector.

The hopper h is divided vertically through one of its walls by the groove 48, so that the needle-blanks may be seen and touched, it necessary, and that half of the hopper at the right (see Fig. 10) which receives the shanks of the blanks is made larger or wider.

Thejaws which hold the needle-blank to be grooved will in this apparatus, as in my patented machine, be supported by a carriage, 7r, (designated by like letter in my patent referred to,)whicl1 carriage willbe movedlongitudinally by a suitable feed-screw and half-nu t, as therein described, (and also just as described in United States Patent No. 184,347, to which reference may be had,) to thus carry the blank past and so that it may be subjected to the action of the regular grooving or milling cutters of the usual grooving-machine, A.

In my patented machine, the needle-blank having been placed between the needle-blankholdingjaws, the carriage was moved back for a short distance by hand to enable the said carriage to turn a clutch-moving arm and engage the clutch 011 the so-called compound shaft 8 t, which clutch, as therein described, sets the machine in operation to automatically groove both sides of the needle-blank. In this my present invention the jaws (1 d are supposed to be mounted upon just such a carriage, 70, as is shown and referred to in my said patent; but herein I have arranged to move the said carriage 7c backward automatically, instead of by hand, for the distance necessary to set the machine in full grooving operation. This I have done by providing the front end of each carriage (see Fig. 8) with a roller, n, having its journal in a bracket, n, made adjustable by the adjusting-screw n to adapt the said roller to the position of the jaws d d on the carriage k. Just after the blank to be grooved has been clamped between the jaws (101 the roller n, as the support B is moved forward, strikes the adjustable carriage-throwin g-in device 12 and automatically throws back the carriage k, for the purposes stated in the said patent.

The throwing-in device is shown as a lever, pivoted at p on a block, 12 secured to the bed F, the said lever being made adjustable by the screw 1).

I have herein described the grooving-machine A as mounted on a movable support; but I desire it to be understood that my invention would not be altered if the support B was hold fast and the bed F was made movable, instead of fixed, as has been so far described of it.

I have not herein described fully the operation of the grooving-machine A, as that will be understood by referring to my patent hereinbefore cited; nor have I deemed it necessary to show in detail more than one grooving-machine mounted upon the movable support B, I deeming it necessary only to show the positions upon the said table which the series of the said machines will occupy.

With an organization of mechanism such as herein described the groovingof needle-blanks is rendered substantially automatic and the service of an attendant for each machine is dispensed with, the hopper and the mechanism connected with it and the needle-blank-withdrawing mechanism, supported on the bed F externally to the movable support B, doing the work usually performed by the operators heretofore in attendance upon each groovingmaehine.

I am aware that a rotating table has been provided with dies to hold a needle-blank and present one end of it successively to the operation of a series of tools to form an eye in the needle; and I am also aware that a traveling carriage holding a blank for a knitting-machine needle has been presented successively to the action of a series of dies.

I do not herein broadly claim the slide-plates and ejector; but said slide-plates have not been used in connection with an adjusting device to insure the correct position of the same.

I claim- 1. A series of needle-grooving machines, A; and the movable support therefor, combined withthemechanism,substantially as described, to automatically and successively operate the needleblank-holding j aws ofthe said machines to grip and hold the blanks to be grooved, substantially as described.

2. A series of needle-grooving machines, A, and intermittingly rotating support B therefor, bed F, and needle-blank-holdingjaws, and cam to automatically close them,combined with the needle-withdrawing mechanism adapted to automatically engage and withdraw a grooved needle-blank from the needle-grooving machine opposite it, substantially as described.

3. A series of needle-grooving machines, A, and intermittinglyrotating support B therefor, bed F, and needle-blank-holdingjaws, and the means to automatically close and lock them, as described, combined with a hopper and ejector, and the means, substantially as described, to operate the ejector to automatically transfer a needle-blank from the hopper into position between the jaws to be grasped and held thereby while being grooved, substantially as described.

4. The bed F and hopper and ejector to move a needle-blank into position between the needle-blank-holding jaws, and the needle-withdrawing mechanism to automatically seize and withdraw a grooved blank from the needleblank-holding jaws, combined with a series of needle-groovingmachineshavingneedle-blankholdingjaws, and with the intermittingly-rotatin g support by which the said machines are brought one after the other in the proper order before the hopper and the needle-withdrawing mechanism, substantially as set forth.

5. The hopper k to contain the needleblanks, slide-plates to remove a blank from the hopper, and an ejector for forcing the blanks into the blank-holding jaws, the bed I and the carria ge-throwin gin mechanism connected therewith, combined with the carriage k, and the automatically-operated needle-blank-holdingjaws mounted thereon,substantially as described.

6. The intermittingly-revolving support B, bed F, and needle-blank-holding jaws, combined with cam d shaft (1 arm d thereon, and fingers to strike the said arm and actuate the shaft and cam, substantially as described.

7. Theneedle-withdrawing mechanism,composed of the jaws G, the links, the jaw-actuating slide 9 and slide 9 to operate substantially as described, and the bed F, combined with the intermittiugly-revolving support B, a series of needle-grooving machines, A, and needle-blank-holding jaws thereon, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. The hopper and the loosely-connected slide-plates 12 16, combined with the adjusting device 24, to insure the correct position of the forward end of the slide 16 with relation to the discharge-passage at the bottom of the hopper, substantially as described.

9. The hopper,the slide-plates,and the lever 38 and its presser 27, to engage and bear upon the needle-blanks, combined with a cam-ledge to give to the said lever and presser the proper movements to enable the presser to press the needle-blanks down in the hopper at the proper times and between the slide plates, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PHILO M. BEE RS. Witnesses:

G. W. GREGORY, B. J. NoYEs. 

